Amazing New Hand Held Satellite Phone Available Soon - By: Allan Michael Taylor

The satellite telecommunications industry has seen rapid growth and dramatic changes since its humble beginnings in 1960 when AT&T received the very first license to launch a telecommunications satellite into space.

Today hand held & portable satellite phones are common place and are used across every business sector but their markets have been impacted by the growth of the cellular industry.

GSM (Global system for mobile communications) cellular phones are now the worldwide standard, allowing users access to voice and data virtually around the globe. But limitations still exist since the system relies on land based towers and coverage continues to be a problem in many areas around the world.

On the other hand, mobile satellite systems work primarily off of two distinct types of orbital paths, Geostationary (GEO) orbiting around the equator at an altitude of 35,000 km and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) orbiting in a circular path 780 km above the earth. Without the need for land based towers satellite phones have many distinct advantages the primary one being global coverage.

Within the hand held satellite market there are four main competitors. Iridium LLC, Globalstar, Thuraya and Inmarsat. Iridium launched commercial service in 1998 and continues to provide service around the globe with their latest handset, the Iridium 9555. Iridium has a LEO constellation comprised of 66 satellites.

Globalstar, which also utilizes a LEO constellation, launched commercial service in 2000. While it continues to provide service it has had problems with their voice communications and is awaiting the launch of their next generation of satellites to rectify these issues.

Thuraya service was launched in 2001 and has three satellites in geostationary orbit. The Thuraya system is a regional provider offering coverage over Europe. The Middle East and parts of Africa.

Inmarsat was founded in 1972 and started life primarily as a provider of satellite services to the maritime industry. While they entered the land mobile satellite business when they launched BGAN service in 2005, Inmarsat was not involved in the handheld satellite phone market.

As of June, 2010 this is about to change.

The IsatPhone Pro hand held satellite phone is scheduled to be released to the public and it appears that it may be a game changer. While hand held satellite phones have traditionally been in excess of a thousand dollars the new unit from Inmarsat will be much less with an expected price point of $649.00. At this price the mobile satellite industry should see a huge influx of users who in the past could not take advantage of the safety and security provided by a hand held satellite phone.

About the Author

Chris Hallam is the VP of Sales for SatPhoneCity, a global distributor of satellite phones and service. Find out more information on how a Mobile Satellite Phone can help you. Find great deals on a wide variety of mobile satellite phones at SatPhoneCity!

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